The municipality of Eindhoven is said to have cut back on the wildbrug bridge over the Beatrix Canal. That bridge collapsed in the summer of 2021.
The bridge was built just two years earlier. It was not built of steel and wood. That was the initial plan. Instead, it was built of composite – a type of plastic. This is the report from ED website.
That change was made because the initial plan was too expensive. The budget was initially 500,000 euros. In the end, Eindhoven paid more than 700,000 euros for the plastic bridge. Contributions were received from the province and the state.
One hundred years
The designer of the bridge promised that the bridge would be low maintenance. It would be there for at least a hundred years. That lifespan was not achieved by a long shot.
It is not entirely clear how the bridge collapsed, but it seems to be due to errors in the production process: possibly from an incorrect design. It is also possible the design was incorrectly followed and built.
The municipality of Eindhoven has agreed with Fibercom, the company that made the bridge, that a new wildlife bridge will be built.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
